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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · season · mine · tube · lean · fan · calf · mug

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mug — a face
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. mug — a cup
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mug — to rob
  16. lean — thin
  17. rush — hurry
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. tube — a container
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com